The Admiral's Granddaughter
by Diane Klepper
Summary: Owen Paris has a conversation with his granddaughter, Miral. Sixth part of "The Admiral's Family" series.


The Admiral's Granddaughter  
  
  
  
By Diane Klepper  
  
  
  
(Author's Note: This is the sixth and final part of "The Admiral's Family" series.)   
  
  
Owen Paris was sitting at his desk reading a padd when he heard his office door   
open and saw a small figure run in. Smiling Owen saw a small part Klingon part human   
child run in and hide under his desk. A second later a heard a familiar male voice from   
the outer office say, "Miral where are you?" A second later Tom Paris opened the door   
and said trying to hide a smile, "Dad have you seen Miral?"  
  
  
Owen looked under his desk and saw his three- year old granddaughter holding a   
finger to her lips pleading with her blue eyes that Grandpa would not tell her Daddy   
where she was hiding. Owen nodded his head and then turned to face his son. "Sorry   
Tom…I haven't seen her?"  
  
  
Smirking Tom took out a stuffed Targ from a duffel bag he was carrying and said.   
'Then I guess I have to give Toby the Targ to someone else if I can't find Miral."  
  
  
A little voice screeched "No" and a second later Miral jumped out from under the   
desk and cried, "No Daddy…he's mine."  
  
  
Miral grabbed for her toy but Tom was faster then her and scooped her up and   
started tickling her.  
  
  
Giggling Miral said, "Daddy stop."  
  
  
Tom gave her a quick kiss on her forehead ridges and put her down. "Miral did   
you say hello to Grandpa?"   
  
  
Miral shook her head no and then ran to Owen and jumped up into his lap and   
hugged him. "Hi Grandpa."  
  
  
Owen Paris hugged her back and then turned to face Tom. Smiling he said, "So   
what do I owe for this unexpected visit?"  
  
  
Tom said, "Our babysitter called in sick and BE'lanna had an important meeting   
she couldn't get out of. I have a class in fifteen minutes. I was hoping Mom could watch   
her but she's sick… I was wondering if you could watch Miral for a few hours."  
  
  
Owen looked at her son and then at his granddaughter and smiled. "Of course I   
can …I have a meeting for later this afternoon but I can re-schedule."  
  
  
Tom smiled and said, "Thanks, Dad…you're a life safer…I have two Navigation   
classes today…So I'll be back in about four hours."  
  
  
"Take you time…Miral and I will be fine."  
  
  
Tom took the duffel bag off his shoulder and placed it by his father's desk. "Her   
toys are in the bag." He then turned to his daughter and gave her a hug. "Miral…be a   
good girl for Grandpa?"  
  
  
Miral hugged her father. "I'll be good. Bye Daddy."  
  
  
Tom then turned to his father and smiled. "Thanks again Dad."  
  
  
Owen smiled at his son. "Tom I know I wasn't always there for you when you   
needed me while you were growing up…"  
  
  
"Dad… that was a long time ago."  
  
  
"No Tom…let me finish. When you were lost in the Delta Quadrant I promised   
myself that if I ever got you back I would be there for you and I meant it."  
  
  
Tom smiled back and said, "I know Dad…you and Mom have been great helping   
us with Miral. " Tom glanced at the old fashioned clock on the wall and said, "I better be   
going or I'll be late for class…I'll see you later."  
  
  
Owen watched as Tom left his office and then turned to Miral who was pulling   
her toys out of the duffel bag. "So Miral what should we do first?"  
  
  
Miral took a story padd out of the duffel bag and said, "Grandpa…would you read   
me a story?"  
  
  
Smiling Owen said, "Of course sweetheart." He pointed towards his couch and   
Miral ran to the couch clutching the padd in her hand. He walked over to the couch and   
sat down next to his granddaughter. Miral climbed into Owen's lap and gave him the   
padd. Owen looked at the padd and smiled. "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The   
Sea…Miral do you know this was your Daddy's favorite book when he was little."  
  
  
Miral nodded. "Daddy read it to me last night…Daddy is going to take Mommy   
and me sailing next weekend." She turned to look at Owen and asked, "Grandpa did you   
ever take Daddy sailing?"  
  
  
Owen frowned. "I never did…I never really encouraged you father's love for the   
sea."  
  
  
Frowning Miral asked, "Why?"  
  
  
Owen let out a breath and said, "I wanted your Daddy to go into Starfleet…You   
see for many generations there has been Paris's in Starfleet. Your Great Grandmother and   
Great -Great Grandfather were Admirals. There has always been Paris's in Starfleet and I   
wanted Tom to follow in that tradition."  
  
  
Looking perplexed Miral asked. "Didn't Daddy want to go into Starfleet? .. . He   
always says that the best thing that ever happened to him was being on Voyager because   
he and Mommy fell in love on Voyager and Voyager was the bestest ship in the world to   
fly."   
  
  
"Bestest?"  
  
  
"Yeah…whenever Uncle Harry comes over Mommy and Daddy always talk   
about how they miss being on Voyager…Doc even says Daddy was a very good medical   
assistant but I'm not suppose to tell Daddy that."  
  
  
Smiling Owen asked, "Why not?"  
  
  
"Doc says Daddy has a big enough head without him telling him that he was a   
good medical assistant."  
  
  
Owen laughed, "He did?"  
  
  
Miral nodded. "Doc also says Daddy has a hard head but I'm suppose to repeat   
that."  
  
  
Smiling Owen hugged his granddaughter. "That's okay Miral…that will be are   
little secret…Are you hungry?"  
  
  
Miral nodded. Owen went to his replicator and ordered a peanut butter sandwich   
with a tall glass of milk.   
  
  
Miral smiled at her grandfather. "Yummy…peanut butter and jelly is my favorite   
lunch."  
  
  
"It was your father's favorite lunch when he was little."  
  
  
"Grandpa…what was Daddy like when he was little?"  
  
  
Owen gave a small smile. "Your Daddy was a handful when he was little… He   
couldn't wait to grow up. He was always running, jumping, and climbing, He was   
constantly trying to keep up with his big sisters."  
  
  
Miral giggled. "Aunt Kathleen and Aunt Moira said Daddy was a pain in the   
neck. Aunt Kathleen said that he use to spy on her and her dates when they came home."   
  
  
Laughing Owen said, "I remember that…Kathleen wanted to kill him. I grounded   
your Daddy on a couple of occasions for spying on both Kathleen and Moira."  
  
  
Frowning Miral said, "Grandpa was Daddy bad when he was little?"  
  
  
Hugging his granddaughter Owen said, "No sweetheart…Your Daddy was   
good…He made some mistakes but that is all part of growing up…Did I ever tell you the   
story about why I took your Daddy to the Starfleet simulators when he was five?"  
  
  
Miral shook her head no.  
  
  
Owen smiled, "It was a school night right after your Daddy turned five:"   
  
  
Owen Paris came out of the backdoor of his house looking for his son. His wife   
was at a meeting so he was watching the children. Kathleen and Moira were upstairs   
doing their homework and Tommy was playing in the backyard before bedtime. It was   
starting to get dark and it was time to put his son to bed. Owen looked around the yard   
but he didn't see Tommy anyway. Starting to worry Owen called, "Tommy where are   
you?"  
  
  
A small voice that sounded like it was above his head answered, "I'm up here   
Daddy."  
  
  
Owen looked up and saw his son sitting on a branch high up in the Oak tree that   
was situated in the middle of the backyard. "Thomas Eugene Paris what are you doing up   
in that tree?"  
  
  
"Sitting."  
  
  
Worried that his son might fall Owen shouted, "You get down right now young   
man."  
  
  
"But Daddy…"  
  
  
"Now, Thomas."  
  
  
Sadly Tommy said, "Yes, sir."  
  
  
Tommy started climbing down the tree slowly and after a few minutes he was   
standing next to his father. Owen looked at his son to make sure he was okay and then   
said sternly, "Tom…how many times did your Mother and I tell you not to climb that   
tree."  
  
  
"A lot."  
  
  
"Tommy that tree is very high…you could fall and hurt yourself. Mommy and I   
don't want you to get hurt."  
  
  
"But Daddy…I want to see the stars…I want to be a pilot."  
  
  
"Son…you will be…when your older…Tom your only five years old. You have   
plenty of time to learn how to fly."  
  
"But Billy Wendall father lets him fly shuttles." Billy Wendell was the son of   
Admiral Robert Wendall a colleague of Owen. A couple of times when Owen had a   
meeting with Robert he brought Tommy along so he could play with Billy.   
  
  
Frustrated Owen said, "Tom…Billy Wendall is eleven years old…and his father   
let his fly simulators for two years even before he ever let him near a real shuttles   
controls."  
  
`  
"Then can I fly simulators?"   
  
  
"Tom…your too young."  
  
  
"But Daddy I know where all the controls are…Billy showed me."  
  
  
"Thomas…flying even simulators is a big responsibility…"  
  
  
"Daddy I can do it…please let me try."  
  
  
Owen looked at the hopeful look on his son's face. "Tommy…I'll make you're a   
deal…I'll take you to the simulators next weekend if you promise to keep up your grades   
up in school and no more climbing that big Oak tree."  
  
  
Smiling Tommy said, "I promise." He hugged his father with all his might. "I   
love you Daddy."  
  
Owen hugged him back. "I love you too, son."  
  
  
Owen looked down at his granddaughter in his lap and saw her smiling. "Daddy   
says I can't fly until I'm much older…Mommy says if he pushes me to fly she will rip   
out his heart."  
  
  
Owen laughed. "You know Miral…your Mommy is a very wise woman."  
  
  
Miral nodded her head and then pointed to her story padd and said, "Grandpa will   
you read to me after lunch."   
  
  
Owen kissed Miral on the cheek and said, "Of course, Sweetheart."  
  
  
Tom entered his father's office and found Miral asleep on the couch holding her   
Targ closely to her chest. His father was sitting at his desk reading a padd and drinking a   
cup of coffee. Whispering he said, "Hey Dad…how was she?"  
  
  
Owen smiled, "She was very good. I gave her lunch and she fell asleep as I read   
to her. I read her Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea."  
  
  
Tom smiled, "I started reading it to her last night. It brought back a lot of   
memories."  
  
  
"Hopefully good ones."  
  
  
Tom smirked, "Mostly…some of my favorite childhood memories were when   
you read Jules Verne to me."  
  
  
Just then a voice called out, "Daddy.".  
  
  
Tom turned and saw Miral sitting on the couch, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.   
Tom walked over to Miral and picked her up. "Hi Sweetie…did you have a good time   
with Grandpa."  
  
  
Miral nodded. "Daddy…can Grandpa and Grandma come sailing with us next   
weekend."  
  
  
Interrupting Owen said, "Miral…we don't want to impose…."  
  
  
Tom looked at Miral and then at his father and then smiled. "No Dad…We would   
love for you and Mom to come"  
  
  
Owen smiled at his son. "Are you sure?"  
  
  
"Yes Dad…We're family…and families stick together thru the good and the bad."   
Tom smiled and looked at his daughter in his arms. "Right, Miral?"  
  
  
"Right Daddy."  
  
  
"Dad…I'll call you up later in the week to finalize the trip." Tom smiled at his   
father. "Don't forget to bring your sea legs."  
  
  
Owen chuckled. "I will."  
  
  
"We better be going…B'Elanna has dinner ready and when we late she gets mad.   
Bye, Dad."  
  
  
Owen watched as Tom left carrying his still sleepy daughter in his arms. Owen   
Paris smiled. He thought back to the night so long ago he mourned the death of his boy.   
He never though he would get the chance to be a father to Tom again…let along a   
grandfather to a beautiful one-quarter Klingon girl. He was not a religious man but he   
was thankful to the God that watched over Tom and brought this son back home to him.   
He had his boy back and he promised himself that for as long as he lived he would never   
take that precious gift for granted ever again. 


End file.
